The rain had slowed to a whisper by dawn, leaving behind a mist that curled through the streets like ghosts. Lydia sat in the corner of the abandoned station, watching the faint light crawl through the cracks in the ceiling. Her clothes were damp, her hair tangled, but her eyes — they burned with quiet resolve.
The USB sat on her palm, slick with condensation. That tiny device held the truth — Cassandra's empire, the lies, the bloodshed… everything. Jaden had risked everything to bring it to light.
She stood and slipped it into her jacket, her mind made up. It was time to end this.
She reached out to a name she hadn't contacted in years — Marcus Weller, Jaden's former business associate and one of the few people who had once gone against Cassandra's authority. He had disappeared after Jaden's supposed death, but if anyone knew how to bring down Holloway Global from the inside, it was him.
When she called, the line buzzed for what felt like an eternity before a voice finally answered.
"Who is this?" the voice rasped.
"It's Lydia. Lydia Crest."
A pause. Then, a sigh. "You shouldn't have called this number."
"I found something," she said quickly. "The files Jaden was trying to protect. They prove everything — Cassandra's crimes, her network, the explosion at the pier—"
"Slow down," Marcus cut in. "If Cassandra finds out you have those files, she'll—"
"She already knows," Lydia said quietly. "They attacked us last night."
There was silence on the line, then Marcus's tone hardened. "Meet me at the old observatory by midnight. Don't trust anyone on the way."
The call ended.
---
Hours later, Lydia moved through the dim backstreets of the city, hood drawn low. The world around her felt different now — every sound sharper, every glance from a stranger suspicious. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
As she neared a crossroads, a sleek black car slowed beside her. Her heartbeat stuttered — but the window rolled down to reveal her.
Cassandra Holloway.
"Get in," Cassandra said simply.
Lydia froze. "You've got some nerve showing up here."
Cassandra smiled, flawless as ever. "My dear, you've caused me more trouble in a few days than most do in a lifetime. Let's not make this worse."
"I know what you did," Lydia hissed. "I saw the footage — you tried to kill your own son!"
Cassandra's eyes didn't even flicker. "He left me no choice. Jaden was brilliant but reckless. He wanted to expose everything we built — everything I built. That kind of betrayal cannot go unanswered."
"You call that betrayal? He was trying to do what's right!"
"'Right,'" Cassandra repeated mockingly. "Such a naïve word. Do you know how this world really works, Lydia? Power doesn't belong to the righteous. It belongs to the ones willing to get their hands dirty."
Lydia's voice shook with anger. "Then maybe it's time someone took that power from you."
Cassandra chuckled softly. "You sound just like him."
For a heartbeat, the two women just stared at each other — a silent war between grief and arrogance, love and cruelty.
Then Cassandra leaned in slightly, her tone lowering. "You should be thanking me, Lydia. I kept you alive this long because Jaden cared for you. But if you keep playing hero…" her eyes turned cold as steel, "…I won't make that mistake again."
Lydia didn't move, didn't speak. She just turned and walked away into the mist.
Cassandra watched her go, her lips curving slightly — not in anger, but curiosity.
"She's braver than I thought," she murmured.
---
By nightfall, Lydia reached the old observatory. It stood at the edge of the cliffs, forgotten and half-swallowed by ivy. The air smelled of salt and rust.
Marcus was already waiting inside, a tall man with a weary face and sharp eyes. He looked at her like someone seeing a ghost.
"You really found it," he whispered as she handed him the USB.
He plugged it into his laptop. "This… this could destroy her. These documents trace every offshore account, every government deal. But if you expose this, Lydia, she'll come after you with everything she's got."
"She already has," Lydia said. "And I've got nothing left to lose."
Marcus nodded slowly. "Then we go public. I know a contact — a journalist who's been hunting Cassandra for years. If we leak this—"
A faint click echoed from the shadows behind them.
Marcus froze. "Did you hear that?"
Before Lydia could answer, a flash of movement — a shot rang out. Marcus collapsed instantly, clutching his shoulder.
Lydia screamed and dropped behind a column. The door burst open — armed men in black surged in, Cassandra's insignia on their suits.
Lydia grabbed the USB and ran deeper into the observatory. Bullets tore through the walls as she ducked behind a telescope.
One of the men shouted, "She's heading for the exit!"
She sprinted toward the back door, Marcus yelling after her, "Go! Don't let them get the drive!"
Outside, the night wind howled over the cliffside. Lydia's shoes slipped on the wet stones as she ran toward the service ladder leading down to the shore. But before she could reach it, a figure stepped out from the fog.
Tall. Familiar.
Her heart stopped.
"Jaden?"
He looked alive — bruised, pale, but unmistakably him. His shirt was torn, blood dried along his neck. But his eyes… his eyes weren't the same.
They were cold.
"Lydia," he said softly. "Give me the USB."
Her throat went dry. "What— what do you mean? You told me to protect it."
"I know. But things have changed. Cassandra's already gone underground. If you release that data, you'll start a war you can't control."
She stepped back slowly. "Jaden, what did she do to you?"
He hesitated — just for a second — and that second was enough. Lydia saw the faint glint of a transmitter at his collar.
Her heart sank. "You're working with her."
"It's not what you think—"
"Then what is it, Jaden?" she cried, voice breaking. "You almost died because of her!"
"I'm trying to fix this my way," he said, reaching toward her. "Please, Lydia. Give me the drive."
Lightning split the sky behind him, illuminating the turmoil on his face — guilt, fear, something deeper.
Lydia stared at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're lying to me again."
He lowered his hand slowly, the rain beginning to fall once more.
"I'm trying to keep you alive," he whispered.
Then the sound of approaching vehicles broke through the night. Cassandra's convoy.
Jaden turned sharply. "They're close. Run, Lydia. Now!"
But she didn't move. She just looked at him — the man she loved, the man she could no longer trust.
The cliff wind roared between them, carrying the scent of the storm and something heavier — the end of innocence.
And then Lydia turned and ran — not from Cassandra this time, but from Jaden himself.